Israeli delegation’s US visit canceled due to non-veto

Last Updated on March 26, 2024 4:56 am

A scheduled visit by an Israeli delegation to the country was canceled after the United States did not veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

The US abstained on Monday (25 March) from vetoing the Gaza ceasefire proposal.

A statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office said Washington’s failure to veto the ceasefire proposal was a clear departure from the US’s previous position. That would hinder the war effort against Hamas in Gaza and the release of 130 hostages.

The statement also said that due to the change in the US position, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided that the Israeli delegation would not visit the US.

The Israeli delegation was supposed to discuss plans for Israel’s military operation in the Gaza city of Rafah with US officials in Washington.

Fourteen of the 15-member Security Council voted in favor of the resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages. The United States abstained from voting. As a result the proposal was passed.

After the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield blamed Hamas for the delay in passing the ceasefire resolution. He said, the United States does not agree with everything in the proposal. So we abstained from voting.

Al-Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Baez said this is a very significant development. It passed almost unanimously for the first time in nearly six months. The US has vetoed it three times in the past. But this time they gave the opportunity to pass the proposal by refraining from voting.

He also said that the proposal of the Security Council is international law. All member states of the United Nations are obliged to comply with it.